Todeskampf
by Requiem of Fire
Summary: Sometimes it takes year's for someone to reconcile the death of a loved one. For Kakashi, it took fifteen. Kakashi/Rei friendship ONESHOT


_**Todeskampf**_

**"_Dear Agony, just let go of me"_**

"You didn't bring him home."

Kakashi had heard those words spoken once over fifteen years ago, and yet each morning upon waking he heard them again and again and again. This unpleasant thought is what caused him to visit the grave of his late comrade each morning, which would consequently make him late to meet with his cell of ninja, Team Seven. The day he first met them three years ago had been a particularly bad morning, and he remembered with a smile how Naruto had placed an eraser at the top of the door to hit him on the head as a punishment. He also recalled Sasuke commenting on how stupid it was for him to fall for that trick, but the would-be insult was nothing compared to the guilt inside his heart.

Today was one of those mornings where the pain was almost too much to bear. Kakashi heard the words repeat over and over, summoning him out of his bed and to his kitchen to eat a small breakfast before visiting his friend. He had made plans to meet with his team later in the day, but he already knew that he would be late. If everything had been like it was supposed to, then Obito would have been twenty-eight today. Kakashi was going to celebrate with him like he was here all along.

However, he did not know that the two members left of his team were curious about his request to train later than their usual time, and so Kakashi was unaware that they currently waited outside of his house behind a shrub, waiting to follow him. His mind was too occupied with emotions for his trained senses to see them, and Naruto found this to be the prime opportunity to figure out where it was that his sensei went every morning.

The morning sun burned Kakashi's eyes, reminding him that it was time to cover his Sharingan to prevent himself from losing too much chakra. He dressed himself, putting on his black pants and shirt before his green ANBU jacket and mask. Lastly he tied on his headband, displaying the symbol of Konohagakure, to tie up his mask and protect his Sharingan. He lightly touched the fabric above it, taking a moment. Obito had given him this eye as a gift right before he died.

He left his house after eating a small breakfast, his stomach not permitting much more than an apple. Naruto and Sakura watched from behind the shrub, following their sensei with their eyes as he walked from his house.

"I wonder where he is going?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"It's none of our business!" Sakura huffed. "The only reason I'm coming is to keep you from being stupid!"

"Yeah, whatever."

The two followed their sensei as he went into town, picking up a bottle of Sake from a store. Naruto waggled his eyebrows and murmured, "This is going to be great!" before following after him out of the market, Sakura reluctantly trailing behind.

Kakashi remembered the day he found out he was on a team with Obito. He was a lazy student who constantly had to be pushed to do anything with himself. It felt like a burden to find out that Obito was on his team. However, he remembered his sensei, Minato, telling him to be patient. That was to be his lesson. He said it would make him work well with others. Now, his past frustration seemed so trivial. If only he could take it all back.

He remembered when they went on their first mission together, right after Obito reached the Chunin level. They were waiting for Rin to show up when a girl came up to them, more specifically Obito. She looked just like him, having black hair and fair skin. Her eyes were different though. Instead of black they were a pale amethyst. It was most curious, and Kakashi distinctly remembered wondering about them as she spoke to Obito.

"Hey, Kakashi!" Obito yanked on his shirtsleeve, breaking him out of his ponderings. "Kakashi!"

He quirked an eyebrow, partially out of annoyance and partially out of embarrassment. "What?"

Obito patted the girl on the shoulder. "I want you to meet my sister, Rei. She is at the ninja academy! About to graduate to Genin!"

The girl smiled and held out a hand, which he remembered being soft.

"It's nice to meet you, Kakashi." Rei smiled and hugged her brother. "Bring my brother home, ok?"

He only nodded and watched her run away, her red shirt sticking out in the crowd of children walking to the Academy. Obito smiled as he watched her, making Kakashi curious. He never had any siblings, so this exchange was new to him. It was then he realized he never said hello to her in return, or audibly answered her question.

"She will be a great ninja." He gave Kakashi a look. "Don't tell anybody, but she already awakened her Sharingan! I'm so jealous! Mine isn't activated yet."

Kakashi never really gave much thought to Obito forming the legendary Sharingan, particularly because he did not think the boy would be able to use it effectively even if he had it. However, the fact that his younger sister, who was not even out of Ninja Academy, had already formed it was particularly curious indeed. The reason Obito felt compelled to tell him in the first place was also peculiar, as Kakashi never even pretended to care about what the boy said.

"How did she awaken it then?" Kakashi asked. "I thought you had to be put under an emotionally difficult time before it would awaken. She isn't even out of the Academy."

Obito was never one for secrets, but he was also someone who liked to tell half-truths if it was to be of benefit. "Well, Rei and I have different mom's. Apparently, someone broke into her house and was beating on her mom and that was when it activated."

Kakashi could tell there was something more to the story, but at the time did not ask.

Kakashi smiled as he walked to Obito's grave, thinking back to their old conversations. It was like it happened yesterday, the talking and conversations about little Rei Uchiha. She was Obito's best friend, Kakashi thought, and Obito was never late to pick her up from the Academy and walk her home. He had always said that Rei would grow up to be beautiful like her mother, but deadly like their father. Kakashi never knew what that meant, but never asked questions. It was none of his business.

From that day forward, Rei always told Kakashi to bring her brother home before they would leave on missions. The day she graduated seemed to be the proudest moment in Obito's life, and when she passed the Chunin exam it was as if he had become the next Hokage himself. However, Rei never forgot to tell him to bring Obito home, and it never went away with experience or with age. She was eleven when he heard the words for the last time, right before he lead his team to destroy a bridge during the Third Great Shinobi World War. He had just become a Jonin, barely thirteen years old. This would be a test of his skill and ability to lead his team to victory. He could not fail the objective like his father had in his mission years ago. He would follow the ninja code.

They were about to leave town when Rei approached them, as he knew she would. It had become a ritual of sorts. Her eyes were still that amazing shade of purple, and Kakashi realized he still had yet to see her Sharingan. Rei probably kept it under raps for her brother's sake, but he could not help but be curious. However, on her cheek was a purple bruise, trailing from her jaw to her neck. It was then he realized that her hair was let down today, not pulled back like usual. She smiled nevertheless, and hugged her brother.

"Good luck, Obito."

The boy smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Thanks, sis. Be careful, ok?"

Rei nodded before turning to Kakashi, and what she did then Kakashi would never forget.

She hugged him.

"Bring my brother home, ok?"

Kakashi nodded in response, not having time to answer before she ran away to her ninja cell, preparing to defend Konohagakure. She usually never waited for him to answer, because Kakashi usually never did anyway. It was like an unspoken agreement that Kakashi would bring Obito back and Rei was satisfied with it. She seemed to be satisfied with anything as long as Obito was concerned. However, thinking back on it now, Kakashi wondered if the girl had a preconceived notion of their failure, and that compelled her to hug him before she left.

Naruto and Sakura watched as their sensei laughed to himself and continued to walk, wondering what on earth he could be thinking of. It was curious indeed.

However, in his time of remembrance, Kakashi was then forced to think about his last moments with Obito. Rin had been kidnapped by the Iwagakure on the way to the bridge, which prompted a brief argument between Obito and himself. Obito had always thought with his heart, and like Kakashi's own father, rejected the mission to save his friend. Now in his late twenties, Kakashi still remembers the feeling in his own heart when Obito went to find Rin, saying that he believed Kakashi's father to be great because he did what his heart told him. Thinking back on it now, the copy-nin found it silly that he was willing to risk his friend's life for the sake of code. Thankfully, Obito had shown him this before his death.

It was out of sheer terror and will to protect his friends that Obito finally awakened his Sharingan, destroying one of the attackers and protecting them both. Kakashi remembered thinking that Rei would have been so proud of her brother in this moment, watching him activate his own Sharingan for the sake of his comrades. But, like all things, it was too good to last, and Obito was killed moments later.

Kakashi felt a tear roll down his cheek, much to his annoyance, and brushed it away. He was arriving at the cemetery, and he would be damned before he visited his friend looking pathetic. As he turned the corner, walking through the stone archway, Kakashi saw someone he thought he would never see again.

He remembered the last time he saw her. She was bruised and battered, waiting for them to come home after the evening at the bridge. Her cell had completed its mission, and instead of going home to sleep she had waited for Obito, like he had always done for her. Kakashi saw her as soon as the town was in view, despite the other ninja about, and he knew that she saw him too. Her eyes went from his bloody face to Rin's tearstained cheeks and it was then Rei knew that Obito was gone.

It all seemed to happen slowly. He remembered this part much more vividly than the rest. Each step he took her face would quiver. With each breath he breathed her eyes would grow wider. When he finally arrived in front of her, looking at her with Obito's Sharingan, silent tears fell down her face, leaving trails in the dust and grime leftover from her battle. Before he could speak, before he could say anything, Rei spoke the five little words that haunted him everyday.

"You didn't bring him home."

She fled from the scene with no one to watch her except Kakashi and Rin, who both said nothing.

He never saw little Rei Uchiha again. A few months following the death of Obito her father was found dead in his home, Rei nowhere to be found. He was murdered, they said, and there was no evidence on the killer. Somewhere inside Kakashi knew who it was. He had always known.

When Kakashi approached the memorial where his friend's name was engraved she turned from her kneeling position to face him. She was much older than the girl of eleven he once knew. Her face was thin, framed by long, black hair that hung over a white and red priestess gown. She had fair skin, the same as back then, and her mouth was skewed into a look of remorse. However, it was her eyes that startled him most.

He had always wanted to see her Sharingan when he was a child. But, now that he saw them he was even more interested. They were still the same shade of amethyst, but instead of being kind like they had once been, they now held the Mangekyo Sharingan, showcasing a purple pinwheel atop a black background. Kakashi held his breath and watched her stand, her fists clenched.

From the gate, Sakura and Naruto watched. The former was instantly jealous of the shrine maiden for her beauty, but Naruto was curious as to who she was. He watched them stare at one another, the young woman's hands clenched and his sensei's face indifferent. The blonde rubbed his chin.

"Is that sensei's girlfriend?" He whispered to Sakura.

"No! She looks ready to kill him!" Sakura sighed. "Girlfriends don't look at their boyfriends that way."

This seemed to make enough sense to Naruto and he continued to watch.

Kakashi stepped forward, placing the bottle of Sake he purchased on the ground. Rei took a step back, eyeing Kakashi as she did. Her eyes went back to normal, and he smiled.

"I never did get to see your Sharingan growing up." He told her.

She smiled a bit and eased her fists. "I wasn't proud of it. Besides, Obito was jealous."

He chuckled before a period of silence was shared between them. It was strange, talking to her this way. Kakashi had always remembered the shining girl who always smiled before bidding them all goodbye. Now, it was as if her light had been sucked away from her. Her smile was void of all happiness, and Kakashi felt responsible. He rubbed his head.

"I never told you-"

"You don't have to apologize. I know you never liked Obito much."

Kakashi was taken aback by her brashness, something else he knew he caused. He knew he could be insensitive sometimes, but never this cold. However, he knew he could not blame her because his dislike for her late brother was apparent to just about everyone. He took a deep breath.

"You're right. I didn't." Kakashi looked to the memorial, a headstone for a grave without a body inside. "I didn't until that mission, when I realized Obito was a better ninja than I could ever hope to be."

Rei looked at him with the strangest expression, looking for something to say in return. She was not expecting this. She did not even think she would see Kakashi again. Even though he had been somewhat cold in their childhood, she had still liked him. He was a good ninja who could look after her brother, she thought, one who could protect him even from himself. Rei knew from the first time she saw Team Minato together that Kakashi disliked her brother, but that was ok. She knew Obito could be somewhat of a pest at times. Nevertheless, she loved him, and needed reassurance in her heart that her only friend was alright.

She sighed. "I never blamed you. I tried to, but I couldn't."

Kakashi watched as she looked up at him, something moving in her eyes.

"After he died, I tried really hard to blame you for his death. I did. But, I knew that even though you hated him you would have brought him back to me if you could have." A tear fell from her eye, but she wiped it away. "You always were his best friend, Kakashi. He told me so everyday."

The silver-haired man felt a blow in his chest that he had never felt before. Whatever it was, it hurt more that every punch, kick, or puncture he had endured in all his years as a ninja. His breath caught in his throat and it took him a moment to regain his composure.

He hesitated, not knowing what to say after that heartfelt confession. "Where have you been all these years?"

She gave a single laugh and frowned. "My father hated me because I looked so much like my mother, a proof of his infidelity to Obito's mother. Obito kept me safe from him. After Obito died I didn't have anyone to protect me anymore. One night I killed my father in defense… but it was an accident. I didn't mean to."

Kakashi had nothing to say. He had known all along.

"I really didn't mean to. I mean," Her lip began to quiver and tears leaked down her face. It was scary almost, watching a girl he had always known to smile look as though she was completely alone. "Even though he hated me and hit me, some sick part of me still loved him because he was my father… I tried making him happy. I did. I thought he would be happy that I got my Sharingan. But, he wasn't. He still hated me. So, after that, I left."

She wiped her face off again and looked up Kakashi, her puffy eyes seemingly lighter than before.

"I've waited all these years to tell you that I am sorry." Kakashi murmured, almost afraid to look at her. Their pasts seemed intertwined more that he could ever imagine. "Even though I know now you don't want to hear it."

"It won't bring Obito back." Rei gave a small smile. "But, you need to know that I don't blame you. Like I said, I never did."

She walked up closer to Kakashi and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest. He stood there with his arms stuck out, unsure of what was happening between them. Naruto elbowed Sakura from the bushes, smirking and motioning to the pair with his thumb.

"Kakashi," It was the first time since then that he had heard Rei say his name. "I was wrong."

He looked down at the girl and she looked up and him. Kakashi had finally returned the hug. "About what?"

"You did bring him home." She smiled and Kakashi thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Rei put her hand over his heart. "He's here."

Naruto and Sakura watched the two hold each other, mourning together for their loss for the first time in fifteen years, neither of them noticing the two young ninja who were like them so long ago.

* * *

**End**

Ok, that was sad.

I am working on a Minako/Trowa one-shot request for _angelic . aquarian_ and the next chapter of **Revolution**. The ReiJadeite oneshot I mentioned before is almost done too.

I have been full of inspiration lately. Let's hope it keeps up!

-ROF


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